Senior Mission Engineer

Team: Mission Management

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Commitment: Full-time (Regular)

Workplace Type: hybrid

Key responsibilities

• Mission Leadership

  • Serve as the mission-level engineering focal point throughout the spacecraft development lifecycle.

  • Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver spacecraft systems that satisfy mission objectives within approved cost and schedule constraints.

  • Drive mission-level technical and programmatic decision-making by balancing mission performance, technical risk, cost, schedule, and implementation feasibility.

  • Support Mission Manager and EVP Mission Management Group in execution of mission objectives and program milestones.

  Mission Requirements Management

  • Own and maintain mission requirements throughout the complete development lifecycle.

  • Ensure requirements are properly allocated, verified, validated, and traced across spacecraft subsystems.

  • Lead mission architecture development, Concept of Operations (ConOps), mission scenarios, and operational concepts.

  • Coordinate mission-level trade studies and establish overall mission success criteria.

  Technical Leadership

  • Lead spacecraft system integration activities across all engineering disciplines including:

    • Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC)

    • Communications

    • Propulsion

    • Thermal

    • Structures & Mechanisms

    • Electrical Power System

    • Avionics/CDH

    • Software

    • Payloads

    • Chair cross-functional technical discussions and facilitate engineering decisions.

    • Resolve multidisciplinary technical conflicts by considering mission-level impacts rather than individual subsystem optimization.

    • Lead mission-level risk identification, mitigation planning, and technical decision reviews.

    Program Execution

    • Monitor mission cost, schedule, technical performance, and development progress throughout the project lifecycle.

    • Evaluate engineering changes for technical impact, schedule impact, cost impact, and mission risk.

    • Support planning and execution of major project reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, IRR, TRR, FRR, and Mission Readiness Reviews.

    • Coordinate engineering activities with suppliers, international partners, customers, and launch providers.

    • Support spacecraft Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT), launch campaign, LEOP, commissioning, and anomaly resolution activities. 

    Continuous Improvement

    • Improve mission engineering processes, tools, and methodologies.

    • Develop analytical tools and dashboards for mission performance, technical margins, cost tracking, and schedule assessment.

Required skills

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

• Minimum 7 years of experience leading the design, development, verification, or operation of at least one spacecraft subsystem, such as:

  • GNC

  • Communications

  • Propulsion

  • Thermal

  • Structures & Mechanisms

  • Avionics/CDH

  • Electrical Power System

  • Flight Software

  • Payload Engineering

  • Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary technical activities beyond a single subsystem.

  • Strong understanding of the complete spacecraft development lifecycle.

  • Experience participating in major engineering design reviews.

  • Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred skills

• 10+ years of experience in Mission Engineering, Spacecraft Systems Engineering, Technical Program Leadership, or Chief Engineering roles.

• Experience leading mission-level technical decisions involving multiple engineering disciplines.

• Experience managing or influencing project cost, schedule, technical performance, and risk.

• Experience developing mission architectures, ConOps, and mission requirements.

• Experience with spacecraft integration, environmental testing, launch campaigns, and mission operations.

• Familiarity with ECSS, NASA, ISO 15288, or INCOSE systems engineering practices.

• Experience with MBSE methodologies and digital engineering tools.

• Experience working with international development teams and commercial suppliers.

• Experience with lunar, planetary, or deep-space exploration missions is highly desirable.